Expert Mode: Building a Global Brand Without Losing Local Relevance (or Your Voice)
This article was based on the interview with Emily Ward, VP of Global Marketing at Turnitin by Greg Kihlström, AI and MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
It’s one thing to build a recognizable brand. It’s quite another to scale that brand across countries, cultures, and continents—especially when your customers expect personalization, integrity, and clarity at every touchpoint.
Emily Ward, VP of Global Marketing at Turnitin, understands this challenge better than most. With two decades of experience spanning the education, tech, and services sectors—including key roles at Blackboard and Anthology—Ward now leads global marketing for one of the most recognized names in edtech. And she’s doing it at a time when generative AI is reshaping not just what marketing looks like, but how fast it moves.
In this conversation, she explains how to build a unified brand that still resonates locally, how AI can empower (but never replace) authentic storytelling, and why the key to scaling isn’t more speed—it’s more alignment.
Strategy + Local Insight = Scalable Brand
Turnitin has been a trusted presence in education for more than 25 years. But expanding a brand built on academic integrity into a global powerhouse demands more than a consistent logo or tone—it requires empathy and adaptation.
“You have to honor both the heritage of the brand and the nuances of every market,” Ward says. “It won’t work without both.”
That’s why her team relies heavily on in-region marketers—not just to translate content, but to tailor messaging, understand buying behavior, and represent the brand with cultural fluency. Those local teams operate with clear guardrails, but they also have the flexibility to adjust based on what resonates in-region. Sales teams are another crucial signal: their daily conversations provide the real-time feedback needed to adjust campaigns and refine value propositions on the fly.
This feedback loop allows Turnitin to stay aligned across regions without falling into the trap of one-size-fits-all messaging. In an environment as dynamic and diverse as global education, that balance is everything.
AI Acceleration with Human Guardrails
As more companies adopt AI to accelerate content creation and campaign execution, Ward’s message is clear: use it—but don’t let it speak for you.
“AI can help us amplify our stories, but we’re the brand stewards—not the technology.”
Her team is encouraged to explore generative AI tools, particularly for first drafts, idea generation, or content formatting across platforms. But every AI-generated output is reviewed, fact-checked, and refined by a human before it’s published. Especially in an education brand built on originality and trust, that human oversight isn’t negotiable.
Ward’s philosophy is rooted in an idea that resonates across all industries: AI should accelerate marketing, not replace it. The goal isn’t more content—it’s better content, faster. And it only works when you combine AI’s speed with human judgment, context, and creativity.
The Role of Original Thinking in the Age of Generative Everything
Ironically, the rise of generative AI has made authenticity and critical thinking even more valuable. In the edtech space—where Turnitin plays a foundational role in promoting academic integrity—the challenge isn’t simply identifying AI-generated work. It’s helping students, teachers, and institutions understand how to use AI as a tool for exploration, not a shortcut to completion.
“We’re not anti-AI,” Ward emphasizes. “We want people to use it effectively, but without compromising their original thinking.”
That same philosophy guides Turnitin’s own marketing. Whether crafting a campaign or scaling across global markets, Ward’s team uses AI to enhance—not substitute—the human effort that goes into connecting with customers. That includes personalization, but with boundaries.
Instead of pushing overly familiar messaging or trying to anticipate every personal detail, Turnitin personalizes by understanding customer challenges and mapping content to different stages of the buyer journey. It’s about being helpful, not hyper-targeted. And it’s grounded in respect for the customer, not just their data.
Scaling Starts with Consistency—and Clarity
Ward outlines four essentials for any brand looking to grow globally while staying grounded:
- Deep audience understanding – Invest in segmentation, buyer journey mapping, and persona research before you scale.
- Multi-channel awareness – Know how your audience engages across different platforms and tailor your presence accordingly.
- Testing culture – What worked yesterday might not work today. Stay agile, revisit assumptions, and never stop refining.
- Clear measurement and feedback loops – Use performance data not just to optimize campaigns, but to spark cross-functional conversations about what’s working (and what’s not).
Her advice is as strategic as it is practical: don’t expect content—or customer expectations—to stay static. “Every touchpoint is a chance to deliver value,” she says. “You need to show up consistently, with clarity, across every stage of the journey.”
That clarity, she notes, also fuels retention. In markets where product fit is strong, long-term engagement is earned by staying ahead of customers’ evolving needs—not just by showing up for the renewal conversation.
Conclusion
In a world where marketing can feel increasingly fragmented, Emily Ward reminds us that the most scalable brands are often the most grounded. Turnitin’s success isn’t just built on the strength of its product—it’s built on the alignment of its teams, the clarity of its mission, and a deep respect for the people it serves.
Whether you’re a global enterprise or just beginning to scale, the playbook holds: align your teams, empower local voices, use AI responsibly, and never outsource your brand’s soul.
Because in a marketplace where speed is table stakes, trust is still the real competitive advantage.?
